What We've Been Building (Winter '25)
A $400k septic system, starting construction on our historic workforce housing project, and Governor Scott and Senator Welch come to town.
Brick + Mortar
Stories and lessons from the front lines of small-scale real estate development in rural Vermont.
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Latest episodes
Under-Parking Septic: A Small Idea That Could Unlock A Lot of Housing
An outdated septic rule cost our town real housing — and how our under-parking pilot could shift what’s possible statewide.
Turning A 19th-Century Barn Into Six Apartments
How we repurposed a 4,000 SF historic barn into high-efficiency housing in the heart of Fairlee.
What We've Been Building (Fall '25)
Zoning wins, funding hurdles, septic battles, and new concepts across Fairlee and Bradford.
What We've Been Building (Summer '25)
From Fairlee’s first affordable housing to an innovative quadplex with septic under parking, here’s what Village Ventures has been grinding on.
Scaling Up
With 17 full-time people, it was time to upgrade. So we bought 2ac and an 11,000 SF office building.
I Bought A 4-Plex For $60,000. Now What?
Planning the $1,100,000 restoration of a historic 1836 apartment building in downtown Bradford, VT.
More Pipes, Fewer People
How land we could use for homes and shops gets eaten up by septic fields in small-town Vermont.
For Sale: 2,000 Gallons Of Vintage Fuel Oil
Cleaning up the past before we can build something new.
From First Build To Best-Of-The-Best
How 501 Main became one of Efficiency Vermont’s 2025 Best-of-the-Best winners.
The $520,000 Lesson
A cautionary tale for anyone developing affordable housing with grant funding.
From Gas Station to Storefront: The Long Road to Revitalization
Three years, $400k, and a whole lot of environmental red tape—how we turned an abandoned and contaminated site into a fresh, new retail space.
Let's Actually Build Homes
How a proposed mini-TIF program could help developers meet the state's housing goals.
Bringing 19 Units Of Affordable Housing To Fairlee, VT
The slides we use to convince people this project is worth fighting for.
Incentivizing Development In Small Towns
Going from $0 to $16m of planned development in our little downtown in just 5 years.
David vs Goliath
Going up against the non-profit giants to bring affordable housing to rural Vermont.
The Unspoken Cost Of Building Affordable Housing
Navigating a whopping $520,000 tax bill as a result of building 6 affordable housing units.
Testing A Model For Affordable Home Ownership
We broke ground on our first for-sale starter home this month in Bradford, VT that could prove to be a viable model for affordable home ownership across our region.
Rural Development's Silent Killer
Decentralized septic is crushing small-scale developers' efforts to build up our rural Main Streets.
5 Updates From Summer '23
Starting a construction business, closing on new development opportunities, and marching forward with current projects.